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The title of this film is a bit of a misnomer. It is derived from my name (Nash), which literally means 'at the ash tree.' However, unlike the characters in this film, I come from a very strong, stable and un-dramatic family. Impassioned outbursts are a rarity in our clan and risky ventures are usually suppressed. So when I decided to explore the concept of 'family', I branched away from my own experience in search of something darker and grittier, but nonetheless real.

For seven years I studied countless cracked and crumbling relationships, devoid of hope, and I sought to immortalize them on film. At long last I have finally chiseled four fragile people - two young couples - and called them a family, in the sense that all they have is each other and they are inescapably intertwined.

Some people are lucky enough to be born into a family. For others it is a rite of passage. Regardless, the strongest bonds are forged in the fires of love and bloodshed, so I have stripped this quartet of all the comforts that allowed me to grow up healthy and safe. They are neither strong nor stable. They have no guidance or community. On top of this hollow sagging earth I have infused heavy drama and risk, and here you have my film: Underneath the Ash Tree.

What lies underneath the facade of small town normalcy? How does desperation get pushed to the point of life-or-death? What do we crave most at our cores: Trust or Truth?

I hope you will join us as we explore these curious characters, trapped in situations they perceive to be inescapable and struggling to climb toward hope and redemption.